The Golden Mirror
by PrincessAndula
Summary: Snow White and her huntsman friend face a new threat. But what does it have to do with Ravenna's gold mirror?
1. How?

**Snow**

I gazed into the golden mirror. Everything else of Ravenna's had been burned, save this. I could not articulate a reason, but I felt the need to keep it. All, save Muir, were against the idea. But Muir understood. I took that as a good omen, for he was a seer.

_"How can I lead? How can I inspire men?"_

_ "Just as you led me when we were children. I followed you everywhere…"_

But that was not true. That was not even William who said it. Ravenna was just trying to lull me into a false sense of security…I should have realized that it was not my William speaking. This left me with the same question today as I had that morning in the forest.

"How can I lead? How can I inspire men?"

"You have already proved your ability to do so, Princess," rumbled a sonorous voice from behind me. A voice I would know anywhere.

"Huntsman?"

"You convinced me to not only refrain from killing you, but to guard you. You convinced eight dwarves to leave everything they knew to follow you. Gus even lost his life because he felt it not too high a price for your safety. Did you not hear the cheers; see the men bow to you after your speech upon awakening at the Duke's castle? Did not over three hundred men answer your call to battle?"

"You really believe I can do this? That I can be Queen?"

"Without a doubt, Princess."

"Thank you, Huntsman." I wanted to hug him in gratitude, but I was afraid he would find it childishly sentimental. "Was there a reason you came up here, or did the fairies send you to encourage me?"

"I came to say goodbye, Princess."

"Goodbye? No! Can you not stay here?" _I will be lost without you…_

"I, um, have some personal business I must attend to in my village. It was not my plan to be away from home so long."

I felt guilty then. He had been dragged from his village to hunt me, and prevented from returning by protecting me.

"Of course, Huntsman. It would be selfish of me to detain you. Will you return for the coronation?"

He shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other.

"I am not sure that I can make such a promise, Princess."

I swallowed hard. "Will I ever see you again?"

"I do not know. I hope so, my Princess."

This time, sentimental or not, I hugged him.

"I hope so, too, dear Huntsman."


	2. Huntsman

**Eric**

A month had passed since I had left her and returned to my village. I had not lied when I told her I had personal business. Debts were owed. I refused to take the gold that had initially been agreed upon as my reward for escorting her to the Duke's castle. I had come to believe in her cause too much to take money for doing the right thing. I sold my house to pay the debts instead. After all, I had found it too painful to cross the threshold since I had lost Sara. I would probably offer my services as a guide to travelers—commerce would resume now that the evil queen was dead. Or perhaps the dwarves would allow me to sojourn with them for a time.

I had made up my mind that I would not return for the coronation. As much as I had meant it when I said I hoped to see her again, I had no intention of seeing her again. As the rightful queen, with an army at her disposal, she no longer had need of my protection, such as it was.

_She's better off without me. I failed to protect Sara, and I failed her as well. I almost lost her once. I won't put her in danger again. Nor will I embarrass her. I'm not exactly fit to be spending time in the Queen's court._

But as I tried to convince myself I was hunting deer and bears, I found my boots moving closer to the palace as the coronation day approached.


	3. Coronation

**Snow**

I barely heard the words the priest said as he placed the heavy crown on my head. I suppose I should have listened better; I'm certain his words were important. But in that moment, I was concentrating all of my efforts on remembering to breathe and not retching up what little breakfast I had managed to swallow. Somehow, I must have remembered to stand at the appropriate moment. As I was presented, I searched the crowd of subjects for a familiar face.

There was Greta, her youth restored when Ravenna breathed her last. She was now one of my ladies in waiting. The seven dwarves were there—Muir, and his son Quert, the brothers Coll and Duir, Gort, Nion, and the self-styled leader Beith. _It should be eight._ And a deep pain stabbed my heart as I thought of sweet little Gus and his sacrifice on my behalf. Duke Hammond—one of the few of my father's friends who remained both loyal and alive—and next to him was his son—my childhood friend, William.

But one face was missing, besides poor Gus. And suddenly, it was the only face I wished to see. I had not the luxury of analyzing why. It was my duty as Queen to retain my composure. I resolutely stilled the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes. Yet I could not resist scanning the crowd one last time.

Just then, someone stepped out from behind the rest of the smiling masses. It was him! My Huntsman! I smiled at him.


	4. Dancing

**Eric**

Over and over, I ordered my feet to halt and they moved forward anyway—into the palace, into the throne room, and now, past the crowd. I just had to get a closer look. She was paler than ever. Was she alright? She was not smiling. This should be a happy day; why was she not smiling? Then, our eyes met, and she smiled.

All evening, through the feast and the ball, I told myself to leave. I was underdressed, even in my best clothes. _I don't belong in a palace. I'm not fit for any place but a tavern or the Dark Forest. _

But each time I finally resolved to stand up and get out of there, the Princess—no, the _Queen—_wouldsmile at me again, and I would stay. Several times, she seemed to be making her way towards me, only to be stopped by some noble person or other.

Just after supper, she disappeared for a time. I would have left then, but I was cornered by Beith, who wouldn't stop yammering. Finally, I got past the annoying little man and was heading for the door, when a herald announced, "All bow before your Queen!" Dutifully, I knelt, but I looked up and watched as she entered. They had changed her dress again. How had they put together so many elaborate gowns in just one month? I could see she noticed me staring at her dress. She glanced furtively around, and when she saw that every head was bowed toward her except mine, she gestured toward her gown and grimaced, sticking out her tongue in disgust. I nearly choked trying to stifle a laugh.

The music started then, and the Queen was swept into the arms of her childhood sweetheart, Lord William.

A woman beside me murmured to her companion, "How romantic! I've heard they were destined to be together! They say his kiss revived her from death!"

I snorted a little. I saw that kiss, and she was dead for the entire two day journey to the Duke's afterward, plus another day and a half within the keep.

The other woman giggled. "He's so handsome! Imagine how beautiful the royal babies will be when they marry!"

I tried to bite my tongue; I really did. But I couldn't help myself. "The poor child has been locked in a tower for ten years! She doesn't even know who she is, for crying out loud, and you want to marry her off to the first royal whelp who comes calling? Give the girl room to breathe!"

I must have spoken too loudly, for several people nearby turned to stare—including the scrawny little pup's father, Duke Hammond. He glared as he made his way toward me.

"Huntsman," he said gruffly.

"Your grace."

"You seem to have formed some very strong opinions of…"

"Pardon me for interrupting, Duke Hammond, but I have not had the opportunity to speak to my friend all evening," the voice was accompanied by a gentle hand on my arm.

"Of course, Your Majesty," the Duke acquiesced with a bow.

"I am glad you had a moment free, Your Majesty," said I, looking over the top of her head to avoid eye contact. "I would have been sorry to have missed the opportunity to say congratulations and farewell."

"Farewell?" Her voice sounded somewhat strained.

"Yes, I was just on my way out."

"Oh." Her hand was still on my arm. After a pause, she inquired, "Huntsman, do you dance?"

"Not very well, I am afraid, Your Majesty."

"Perfect; I'm terribly out of practice myself. This is the first ball I've attended since I was a child. Perhaps you will not complain as much as Will when I step on your toes?"

How could I refuse? She was, after all, the Queen. I obediently joined her on the dance floor. We waltzed silently for a while, before she began speaking again.

"Do you think they will ever stop staring at me?" she whispered. "I hate it. It reminds me of Finn."

"No, Your Majesty, I am afraid they will always stare. But most, if not all, of them are _nothing_ like that wretched Finn." I held her closer, remembering the vile way Finn had watched her in the tower, tried to touch her, tried to hand her over to his sister to be consumed. My hand clenched tighter around her small one when I thought of what he had said about my darling Sara. "Finn is dead. He can never hurt you or any other girl again. I made sure of that." She shivered slightly in my arms. I needed to return a smile to her face. "However, I think I am causing the stares to become worse. Everyone is wondering why the Queen is dancing with such a grubby man."

She giggled. "What do you mean, grubby? This is the cleanest I've ever seen you. You even stink less than usual."

I stuck my nose in the air. "I could say the same about you, young lady. I've known you to smell quite rancid. I seem to recall that when we met, you smelled like a combination of sewer and hallucinogenic mushrooms."

"Is that why you tried to leave me in the woods? Because I smelled so horrible?" She was joking, but there was something pleading in her emerald eyes.

"No, my Queen. That was because I was a drunken fool and I did not realize how precious you are." _Too maudlin! _"You certainly didn't look like you could give me the hundred gold pieces you promised!"

Her eyes twinkled again. "I still owe you that money, don't I?"

"No. You've given me something much better."

Her head tilted to the side, little black eyebrows quirked questioningly.

"I'm so famous now for helping the Queen, that I have a long line of credit anywhere!"

She giggled again. It was good to hear and see her so happy; that was a rare occurrence while we traveled. She sighed and leaned her head against my chest in silence as we continued dancing. I concentrated on not stepping on her tiny toes, until I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"The music's stopped, old man," Will stated with a laugh.


	5. TugO'War

**A/N: I have had several reviewers that had issues with the shortness of some of the chapters. I apologize for that, but can't promise it won't happen again. This is my first time using a switching POV and I'm afraid I'll make it too confusing if I don't switch chapters when I switch POV. **

**Snow**

"The music's stopped, old man," Will stated with a laugh.

I sprang away from the Huntsman, utterly embarrassed by the fact that I'd been asleep against him while we danced. The Huntsman stared at his boots, shifting between them.

"I'm sorry!"

The Huntsman chuckled. "Don't be. You weren't snoring that loudly, Your Majesty."

_Curse my "skin white as snow"! Surely everyone can see the blood rushing to my cheeks now!_

"Looks like we'll have to change your name to 'Rose Red'; your cheeks are not so white just now, Snow," William chortled.

"Oh, what will I ever do with the pair of you?" I opened my mouth again to chide them some more, but had to stifle a yawn instead.

The Huntsman firmly grasped my elbow. "Come, Your Majesty, it's been too long a day. Let's find your ladies in waiting and get you off to bed."

"But she promised me another dance," Will protested, grabbing my other arm.

"There will be other balls," retorted the Huntsman, "_if_ the Queen does not die of exhaustion at this one!" He pulled slightly toward where Greta stood on the edge of the crowd.

"But this is the most important one! It is her coronation! She mustn't leave so early!" William raised his voice a little and tugged me back toward him.

"Will!" I hissed under my breath.

"It is not that early for a young girl," Huntsman replied, placing his other hand on my back to guide me away from William.

"I'm not a child, Huntsman."

"_I _know you're not a little girl, Snow. Show him who is in charge here; stay and dance with me." William yanked my arm again. It hurt a little, and now standing closer, I could smell liquor on his breath. That was a switch. Usually it was the Huntsman who was drunk.

"Show me that _you're_ in charge here, William? I didn't realize that you had been crowned King today," the Huntsman mocked.

"Both of you just stop it! Huntsman, I will not be sent to bed like a child. But William, _you _are acting like a child. I will not dance with you again tonight; I will save you a dance at the next ball. Now, I believe I shall spend some time speaking with my other guests before I take my leave."

As I flounced off to join Coll and Duir, I tried desperately not to look back at the two men but I couldn't help it. I hoped they were staring after me, in awe of my Queenliness and having learned their lessons. Instead, they were glaring at each other.


	6. Past

**A/N Finally we get to the adventure...**

**Eric**

I returned to the inn where I was staying with Beith and his men. Angrily, I began to fling my belongings into my rucksack; swilling the mead I had procured from downstairs. I was angry with myself for coming where I knew I did not belong, and for staying long enough to cause a scene—not once, but twice. I was also angry with William and his pompous father for their presumption that they could control the new Queen.

There was a sharp rap on the door. "Go 'way," I slurred. The door opened anyway, to reveal Muir standing on the threshold.

"I said, go away."

"Still, you cannot see, Eric. Eyes are wasted on the sighted."

"What do you want, old man?"

"Why are you angry, young man?" he countered.

"Because those fools are going to hurt that girl, and I was a bigger fool to think I could protect her!"

"Haven't you been protecting her all along?"

"No. I've done nothing but fail her since the day we met. I almost handed her over to that wretched Finn. She had to save me from a bridge troll! I left her in a burning village. Then I let her die! And tonight, I did nothing but embarrass myself and her."

"Ah, is your masculine pride hurt that she had to rescue you, once upon a time? It would be a poor friendship if you did all of the rescuing. All relationships must involve give and take."

"Exactly. That is I why I am leaving. She does all the giving; I do all the taking. She didn't only save me from the troll; she saved me from myself. She gave me hope and a cause to fight for when I'd all but given up. She gave all of us our kingdom back by killing that witch. All I've given her is a headache, I'm sure."

"Who taught her how to fight, so she could kill the witch? And who awoke her from the witch's curse?"

"The whole kingdom is buzzing that it was William's kiss in the forest that revived her. After all, he is her childhood sweetheart. "

Muir chuckled. "She was stone cold dead for three sunrises after that kiss. I've never heard of true love's kiss taking so blamed long. Makes me think something—or someone—else must have saved Snow White. I thought maybe you had something to do with it. I heard you leaving the room where they laid her, not ten minutes before she walked out healthy as a horse. Didn't you have some magic trick or potion up your sleeve that woke the princess?"

It was a thought that had crossed my mind many times in the past weeks. A thought I had not allowed myself to entertain. _You kissed her, too. Right before she woke up. If only true love's kiss can break such a spell… _I shook my head; I was not in love with the princess—Queen. Even if my heart had not been buried with Sara, there could be no happy ever after for a huntsman and a queen.

"The spell just wore off, Muir. Don't go making up stories otherwise."

"Of course, my friend."

A piercing scream from the next room interrupted our conversation. I grabbed my axe and pushed Muir into my room as I passed him to enter the hallway. A man and woman ran out of the adjacent bedroom.

"What is it?" I asked them, raising my axe in case they were followed by some assailant.

"A g-g-ghost," stuttered the man.

I snorted. "And how much did you have at the tavern downstairs?"

The woman clung to his arm, tears in her eyes. "None! We just traveled here for the coronation. We stayed outside the palace all night, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Queen. When we returned to our room, there she was!"

"She?" My belly twisted in a knot; wondering if Ravenna had somehow escaped death.

"Our little girl," sobbed the man. "She was taken by the Queen nine years ago. It was on her eighteenth birthday."

"At first, we thought she survived and had her youth restored. There are stories about the Queen's ladies in waiting, you know. But then, just as we were reaching out to embrace her, she melted into a puddle of gold, and we heard the most wicked laughter."

"I believe she came back to warn us. The kingdom is still in grave danger!"


	7. Midnight

**Snow**

I was awakened in the dead of night by a pounding on my father's—I mean, my—chamber door. When had I fallen asleep? I had not been sleeping well since the Duke had arranged for me to use this room. All I could think of was the last time I had seen my father—lying on this very bed with a knife through his heart.

"Comonin," I mumbled as loudly as I could muster.

William rushed in, Greta on his heels. I had invited Duke Hammond and his son to stay with me for a long while as my advisors.

"Will? What are you doing in here?" I pulled the covers up over my chest, to mitigate how thin the fabric of my nightgown was.

"You said, 'Come on in,'" he retorted.

"I tried to stop him, Your Majesty!" Greta complained.

"What do you want?"

"I thought you should know, Snow, that there have been several reports of ghosts in the village lately. My father advised keeping it from you until after the coronation…"

"So that's why you chose to barge into my bedchamber while I was sleeping?"

"No, it could have waited until tomorrow, except that two were seen in the palace tonight. A young woman appeared in a locked guest room and made…advances...toward the nobleman staying there. When he…tried to respond…she melted into a puddle of gold on his bed. He ran from his room screaming. While he was sharing his story with the guards outside the palace wall, he was interrupted by a scream as one of the serving wenches flung herself out of a window. The other girls who were in the room with her say she committed suicide after seeing an apparition of her dead sister melt into a puddle of gold. This was on the opposite side of the palace, so naturally, you would not have awoken from the noise."

I stared at Will, my eyes widening with every word he spoke, until I felt as though they would pop out of my head. I was shaking; but whether from cold or fright, I was unsure.

"I've scared you, haven't I, Snow?"

"Did you think you would not?"

"Honestly, I wasn't certain…you've been so very brave…" He sat on the edge of my bed and wrapped his arms around me. I leaned into the warmth. He started to stroke my hair.

"What am I supposed to do, William? I'm the Queen now; people will expect me to fix this…"

"I have no idea, darling. I didn't mean to imply that you had to solve this tonight. I just wanted to warn you. I couldn't stand the thought of what happened to the serving wench happening to you. I've already lost you twice."

"Oh, Will!" I hugged him tighter, and felt him press a kiss to the top of my head.

"Not to mention, quite frankly, I needed to hold you and prove to myself that you wouldn't melt into a pile of gold. I mean, I saw you, held you, even kissed you; and you were dead."

I pulled back a little. "You kissed me?"

Will blushed and nodded, turning his face away. "When you died in the forest…I was begging you not to leave me, but you did. It was all I could think of to either save you or say goodbye."

I remembered stories my mother had told me when I was small. The sleeping beauty (one of my ancestors, I think) who had been restored from a witch's spell by true love's kiss; my mother's brother, who had transformed from a beast into a prince when kissed by a beautiful maiden; my grandfather, who had been turned into a frog until my grandmother kissed him…Could true love's kiss have awakened me? Was William, after all, my true love?

"Do you…do you think…do you think your kiss is what revived me?"

Will shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. If it was, it took an awfully long time to work. You were dead for days after that."

In my mother's stories, it had always worked instantly.

"I hope it was…" he murmured in my ear. "Do you?"

I pondered that. Growing up in my tower, I had often dreamed that William would be my knight in shining armor. He would ride in to rescue me, and we would be married. We'd played that game so many times as children, before the scary reality set in. But ten years passed, and he never came. That morning in the forest, I had kissed him—well, my stepmother disguised as him—just to see if it felt like I had imagined it would all those years. It didn't. But maybe that was because I was kissing Ravenna, not Will? Maybe I should give the idea another chance. I tilted my head up expectantly. He leaned in to kiss me. But as my eyes slid closed in anticipation, I saw William's face melting into Ravenna's as the hairy apple fell from my hand. I turned quickly, and Will kind of slobbered on my cheek. _Ew_.

"Snow?" William sounded hurt.

He didn't know what had happened in the forest.

"Will…I, uh, I never told you before, but when Ravenna gave me the apple…she was disguised as you."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry."

"Me, too."

I looked away, and my gaze fell on Greta. She looked very uncomfortable.

"Greta, have you heard any more of these ghost stories?"

My friend nodded. "People have been saying I'm one of the ghosts, and Alice, too." Alice was another of my ladies in waiting who had been restored to youth after my stepmother died. "Sometimes people touch us, just to see if we'll melt."

"So this has been going on for a while?"

"From the stories, ever since the Queen…I mean, the former Queen…I mean…ever since _she_ died, Your Majesty."

"Greta, I told you, you don't have to call me 'Your Majesty'."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

I sighed.

"So, apparently, the common denominators among the ghosts are that they are all young, beautiful women…" Will mused.

"And they all melt the instant they are touched," added Greta.

"I'd wager they were all taken by my stepmother. She drained their youth, as she did you and Alice, Greta. Only these are the ghosts of the ones who did not survive the process."


	8. Decision

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update. Busy summer. Shout out to NUNICHAN, who has given me the most reviews! Thanks for the encouragement. This chapter is for you, because you are the reason I felt most guilty for not updating ;-)**

**Eric**

Muir convinced me not to leave. He said I needed to tell the Queen of the ghost. I told him to do it, as I did not believe it more than craziness. He somehow convinced me it was my duty. I must have been more drunk than I thought.

"Your Majesty, your Huntsman is here to request an audience," declared the butler, leading me into her study.

_Her Huntsman? What is that supposed to mean? Stupid butler, go buttle somewhere else. _

"Huntsman, what a nice surprise!" she exclaimed, her smile lighting up the whole room. Her smiles had been a treat before she was Queen…before she was free from that witch of a stepmother…now they were intoxicating.

William was standing next to her at the desk, peering over her shoulder at something. He glared at me a bit, although he kept his tone pleasant as he asked, "What brings you here this fine day, old chap?"

_Why does he have to call me "old" all the time? I can't be more than six or seven years older than him. I know myself to be only nine years older than the Queen, and she is very young. _

"Well, actually, Will, I have some business with Her Majesty." _So buzz off._

"I'm sure whatever you have to say to Snow can be said in front of me." So he caught the subtle subtext of my comment.

She narrowed her eyes at him, like one would when they were scolding a puppy. Come to think of it, he did seem rather like a lost puppy following her around.

"Your Majesty," I began, "I think this is a lot of nonsense from an overly tired old couple, but Muir felt I should inform you…"

I wasn't sure how to continue. The whole thing sounded too silly.

"Muir? If he thinks something is important, it surely is!"

"Muir? Isn't he that old, blind dwarf that spouts riddles all the time?"

"Hush, William!" _I think she sees him as a puppy too, the way she scolds him…Good for you, girl!_

"Muir and I were at the tavern last night…"

William interrupted with a snort, "Where else?"

"Will, shut up!"

I cleared my throat and continued, "There was an older couple in the room next door. They said they had come to see your coronation. When they returned to the inn, they claimed that the ghost of their daughter was in their room."

She gasped. "Their daughter? How did she die?"

"I think the Qu—Ravenna took her. They had hoped she still lived, but they said when they tried to touch her…"

"She melted?"

"How did you know that, Majesty?"

"It has been happening all over the village. We had two incidents here at the palace last night. All have been beautiful young women. Most were confirmed as having been kidnapped and brought to my stepmother, never to be seen again."

_Maybe the old couple wasn't hallucinating. What new devilry is this?_

"We conjecture, Huntsman, that these women are the ones who, unlike Greta and her compatriot, Alice, did not survive the process of having their youth drained. Conjecture means that is what we think."

_Pompous pup. _"I know what the word means, William."

"Boys." There was a warning tone in her Majesty's voice.

"Well, since it is apparent that these are not the hallucinations I initially _conjectured_ them to be, what are we going to do about it, Your Majesty? We can't let these spooks continue to scare the wits out of old ladies."

"You're absolutely right, Huntsman. But how can we stop it unless we know what we are dealing with? How widespread are these…visitations? Aside from the young maid who …took her own life…last night, has anyone been hurt? Are they, as we assume, all women taken by my stepmother? We must investigate."

"I will assemble a troupe of men to ride through the kingdom, Snow. They can report back to us what they learn."

"I will lead them, your Majesty. "

"Perhaps I should lead them. I have more leadership experience."

"William, I think I…" I was interrupted by a dainty clearing of a throat and a clear voice.

"They are my men and this is my kingdom. I will lead the expedition."

"You must be joking, Snow! You're the Queen! You can't just ride off with a bunch of soldiers!"

_For once, I agree with him…_

"I've done it before. Or have you forgotten how I became the Queen?"

_The girl has a point…and she did look rather fetching in mail as I recall…but things were different then…that was the only way._

"You had not choice then, Majesty. If there had been any other way, we would not have allowed it. And you were not Queen then…"

"Allowed it? I am a grown woman! And furthermore, I _am_ the Queen now! No one can allow or disallow me anything!"

"Whoa, girl! Careful, that is the very attitude of your stepmother that caused so much pain in this kingdom!"

"How dare you speak to your Queen that way, knave?" William shouted with outrage.

Her eyes and voice were cold as she hissed, "How dare you compare me to her?"

_You're in trouble now, Eric. _I couldn't look her in the eye. "I'm sorry your Majesty. That was uncalled for. William and I are only concerned for your safety and well-being. "

"Of course you are forgiven, Huntsman. Please, do not compare me to her again."

"You're nothing like her, Snow."

"Nothing at all, my Queen. And I'm sure you never will be."

"Thank you. Now, I would like to hear now further arguments. This is my country; I will make the journey to see what can be done about protecting it."

"Snow…" She cut off William with a glare.

"Your Majesty," I continued through the glare, "would you at least do me the honor of allowing me to join you as a bodyguard of sorts?"

"Thank you, Huntsman. I would be most grateful. And William?"

"Yes, Snow?"

"Would you please be my…"

"Yes, Snow?"

"I guess…my assistant? Would you govern here in my stead while I am away?"

A swift look of disappointment crossed the boy's face, but he nodded. "As you wish, Snow."


End file.
